Leading the Way for Liberty

Advocates of such environmentalism “do not accept that it is not possible to get something for nothing … the idea of trade-offs.” Instead, they support “an old doctrine which is based on the wrong conclusion that the more complex the world is, the more government intervention, regulation and control [is required].” Indeed, “green” has become the new red.

Klaus, an avid reader of Friedrich A. Hayek, understands that the more advanced a society or an economy becomes, the less likely it is that any individual or group of individuals can plan that society’s way to prosperity.

He worried that these entities would seek to impose onerous regulations in every way possible, even circumventing the legislative process to obtain their goals of bureaucratic control. Having survived in a centrally-planned society, Klaus knew first-hand that there still would be “ecological disaster in countries without private property and prices.”

Opponents of freedom view the social order as an opportunity to expand government control by the elites. But, Klaus notes: “The more complex a society becomes, the more a free market is required.” As an economy expands, the ability of bureaucrats to regulate the organic nature of multiple decision-makers in the market diminishes. It is the free market that seeks to preserve liberty.

So let us toast the birthday of a man who has worked so hard to ensure that his own country experienced a rebirth of freedom: Václav Klaus.